OR: They Can't Help Being That Way, Can They?
Published on July 12, 2004 By CrispE In Politics
The current political hysteria over the menace of Lefty marriages in the U.S. and the threat it poses to our Righty society has now reached the point where many church and social leaders want to pass a Constitutional Amendment banning Lefties from marrying. The language of the amendment: "We hereby define marriage as a union between two right handed people." fits scriptural reasoning in the old testament because we read in Exodus when God speaks to Moses at the burning bush, "Go and tell Pharoah, let my people go! Oh, and BTW: You're not left handed, are you?" Now, I have an admission for you, my brother is left handed!!!

Throughout history left handed people have born the mark of second-class citizenship and often during the middle ages, along with the Jewish people were burned at the stake in Europe when towns had famines or plagues. Left handed people were mostly considered unscroupulous and traitors. The phrase "the right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing" probably spawned from this natural suspicion. When my brother came out of his box at the age of 5 we were all shocked that one of those left handed perverts was in our family but somehow we overcame prejudice and 1000's of years of culture to embrace what he truly is: A man who writes left handed.

Genetic surveys done would indicate left handed people comprise between 2 and 15% of the population. That would mean between 5 and 30 million Americans are born this way. The numbers are probably skewed by the fact that if asked point blank: "Are you a pervert left handed person?" many lefties will answer no because of the shame attached.

Studies done where one twin was left handed showed that more often than the general right-handed population if one twin was left handed, so was the other. Other genetic studies also indicate a genetic link in left handed people. Nevertheless, the true genetic link has not yet been found and may not be for many years but I know it has always been my mother's fondest hope that the research will go on and eventually we will let the light in on the truth.

Now I know my righty friends out there are saying, "you're not left handed, why do you care?" Well, friends, if lefties are banned from marriage, couldn't the court by implied law (which is what courts often follow) say that this clearly establishes a barrier against lefties in our society? I am not saying they would be rounded up but clearly this fear that they are invading our moral center and ruining our values, peddling drugs to our children, using unholy sexual positions that we righties would never use is pervasive. Some people in communities in the midwest put signs in their lawns exclaiming "No LEFTIES allowed in town after dark!"

Some have even tried to reform my brother. My mother tried for years to get him to write and shake hands right handed so that no one would know. "Marry a right handed person she told him in his teens and stay away from other lefties" she'd implore him. But alas it wasn't to be. He hid his "leftness" and worked 40 years for the phone company, paid taxes and raised 2 left handed children who thought they wouldn't, because of gradual acceptence in society, face the stigma of how they were born.

We are Americans, right thinking and mostly right handed. We should never disenfranchise anyone from what it is to be American. We have laws, good laws against public conduct of a sexual nature and we need to enforce them but what someone is in their heart and does in their bedroom with another consenting adult is between them and God and I say, so be it.

This proposed amendment is wrong.

What do you think, righties?


Comments (Page 3)
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on Jul 12, 2004
Madine:
You know, my brother served in Viet Nam and had this problem. Now, before some of you say "which side?" it was the side that "left." I think, but please correct me if I'm wrong that there is a thing called a "left hand salute" which is considered "very bad form" as our British readers would say. He once said he did a week of KP duty for doing it. I'm sure, knowing him, it was unintentional. Hehehe.
on Jul 12, 2004
Calling it a lifestyle choice is interesting. It's interesting that through the ages the percentage of leftyism has been fairly constant by both culture and times (bad times, good times, etc.) and the genetic studies done this far at least imply that a genetic component exists.


Such as identical twins that aren't of the same sexuality but have exactly the same DNA and genetics?

As for Darwin, many species seem to have no real purpose or function in the kaleidoscope of nature, for example: the duckbill platypus or the komodo dragon. So if you drag Darwin into this I would say you need to appreciate that species that do have a purpose sometimes become extinct and others that don't, survive. I can't see how that applies to this.


Of course they have a purpose as do all living beings: to live and procreate. That's the point of life. I can see how heterosexuality promotes procreation and the survival of a species, but I don't see how homosexual serves this purpose or any other. Point is, homosexuality and heterosexuality aren't the same thing just like homosexuality and pedophilia and rape aren't even though they all involve sex and sexual attractions.
on Jul 12, 2004
What if the federal government follows Vermont and Mass. lead and by federal statutes gives Civil Unions equal status under the law as marriage. Civil union, two people, no horses or third parties. Civil union, no religion, justice of the peace. Two people in a loving committed relationship that desire to be recognized by law with the same duties and responsibilities of righties.


IMO, this would solve the problem...lefties would then be granted all the legal rights of righties, but righties wouldn't feel that the "sacred institution" of marriage was being sullied by the lefties. Seems a win-win situation to me.

I think the difference is that heterosexuality has an actual purpose in nature, where as homosexuality doesn't.


But that doesn't make it any more or less a choice. And if homosexuality is a choice, then it would seem to follow that heterosexuality is also a choice....and if it is, then could you tell me when it was that you made the conscious choice to be one or the other?


on Jul 12, 2004
Lefties counter that that is rediculous, "A salute has always been a hand above the eyebrow. Everyone knows this."


It is funny how they do this. Supposedly, it's all right to switch the hand, but to change anything else is forbidden and lefties can't offer any decent argument except "it has always been" (just like it's always been with the right).
on Jul 12, 2004
Joseph:
Survival of the species is not dependent on the procreation of the individual. The pattern of procreation will continue unhindered constitutional amendment of not. So, a constitutional amendment serves no purpose in a Darwinian sense, right? But if life were all about simply eating, sleeping and survival, we wouldn't be humans, would we?
on Jul 12, 2004
Who gives a damn if it is a choice or a predisposition?

Welcome to reality. If the people of a nation are denied the right to make a decision, then the choice is imposed upon them. To be blunt I don't give a rat's ass whether gays can marry or not. Frankly if George Washington came down from the mountain with two new Constitutional slabs stating that the founding fathers are all for it, I *still* would be opposed to shoving the decision down the throats of the voting public.

Eventualy people will understand that, like the Bible, you can make the Constitution say any damn thing you want. So, with enough influence and some judges in your pocket, you can impose your views on everyone.

Dredge up all the racist stuff, women's rights, I don't give a damn. If the people had voted against allowing interracial marraige, that would be the people's decision. To say, "No, you just aren't evolved enough to understand that you are wrong." allows not only the "correct" choices to be imposed, but creates a huge loophole in the Democratic system to be abused as well.

on Jul 12, 2004
BakerStreet:
I can't understand which side of the issue you are on. Are you for or against?
on Jul 12, 2004
For gay marriage? I lean toward the negative., but I'm fine either way.

For a constitutional amendment? Honestly, against.

Why the conflict? Because I don't think it should have ever come to a constitutional amendment, because in my opinion it isn't a constitutional issue. There is no constitutional right to marry. In addition, marriage is a state issue. Beyond that, the people of a given state have the ability to decide for themselves.

The only reason it is becoming a national issue is because activist judges have thwarted the will of the voters who have already spoken. The courts are taking a power that should be used only in the most imperative of circumstances, and making it a commonplace occurance.

Let the voters speak, and then you'll have the ability to change minds and laws. Force a constitutional amendment and it will be much more difficult to reverse later if people's attitude's change. This isn't about winning the hearts and minds of the public, though, this is about shoving a decision down the throats of the voting public whether they like it or not. This is about power and spite.

The attitude toward homosexuality has changed immensely in the last ten years. Every year the nation becomes more moderate. Why now? Why antagonize people you might easily win over in the years to come? Spite is all I can come up with.

I posted my own ideas about the problem a while back: A Solution to the Gay Marriage debate.

on Jul 12, 2004
BakerStreet:
Well, we are in agreement. I would only say IMO it isn't happening because of "liberal judges" but rather because many people have "enemy" mentalities. That is, there must be an enemy on every issue, someone who can be the problem. So conservatives find targets for their outrage over the way society is and then broadcasts that outrage 24/7 through a not so-subtle radio and tv media that latches on to anything negative because it sells advertising. Then when the train pulls out of the station, both sides of any given issue forget that their engines are not equipped with brakes so that at some point their trains will either crash or run off the tracks.
I will read your blog, post on it's thread if I have anything to say. Thanks for posting.
on Jul 12, 2004
I think activist judges are just a tool, not a cause. The abuse of the system to bypass the will of the people is the real problem, either with a stretched intepretation of the Constitution, or a revision of it. Neither is the way this should be decided.
on Jul 12, 2004
little_whip:
A phrase gets bandied about here that sometimes scares me a bit because it is used in so many contexts it begins to lose meaning and substance (like the word "cool", different for actions, milk, or jazz). That term is majority. A majority is easy to define only in a statistical procedure like a vote. When you use it in the sense of argument though, it becomes a catch all term. For example: A simple majority, the silent majority, the majority of the whole (I have no idea what that would connotate). What I think is that the majority of people have little interest in most issues (judging by the percentage that vote) and talk about issues because they no other useful conversation (when do I eat, what do I wear, etc.) So what is the majority in the case of "left handed people"? Those that believe that it doesn't matter....?
on Jul 12, 2004
The 'State's Right's' argument is based on the principle that the FEDERAL goverment has no business dictating to the States what they can do. I'm generally in favor of this. I'm ALSO, somewhat contradictorily, in favor of the federal government periodically telling the States what they CANNOT do (they can NOT prevent inter-racial marriages, they can NOT keep children from receiving education, etc. Well. Mostly).

The Supreme Court Ruling in Loving v. Virginia very clearly told the STATE governments that THEY had no business preventing marriage based on the color of the individual citizen's skin. The ADULT, COMPETENT, and CONSENTING citizens who should, in general, be free to pursue their lives, liberty and happinesses so long as it interefered with nobody else.

You see where I'm going with this, don't you?

To those going on about how 'Actist Judges' have no business telling THEIR State what it can or cannot do legislatively should recognize that the judiciary has an OBLIGATION to protect individuals and minorities from the 'tyranny of the majority' (as expressed in bad laws or poor executive decisions). They are the appointed Check and Balance of Legislative and Executive power (and, absolutely granted, vice-versa). It is one of the things judges are FOR. So back off the ad hominem 'activist' conceit, already.

In the case of gay marriage, it is pretty much a foregone conclusion that EVENTUALLY a powerful enough panel of judges is going to recognize that NO government - Federal, State, or Municipal, has ANY business preventing the union of competent, adult individuals where such union does no material harm to anybody else. The Socially Conservative Right (who are DEDICATED to limiting everybody else's freedoms - from inception to grave. And beyond if it were up to them) KNOW this, BTW, which is why they are behind this end-run to enshrine it in the one document that a body of judges CAN'T over-rule.

"But it offends us!" "The MAJORITY doesn't approve!" "GAWD commands that it be so!" "It's gross!" So What? Deal. Get past it. Move on. It ain't your beeswax.

What business is it of YOURS (or ANY level of government) which consenting adult marries which consenting adult? Why should ANY government of any level be empowered to prevent such a thing? If somebody was preventing you from marrying the (consenting adult) spouse of your choice ('cause she/he/it was black, polka dotted, left-handed, or whatever) you'd be screaming about it too - and, with luck, eventually you'd have your just grievance redressed by a panel of black-robed individuals...

Ghu HELP you if you needed to rely exclusively on the kindness, understanding, and big-heartedness of the 'Majority'...

And PLEASE, for the love of whatever, STOP trotting out the asinine and childish arguments about marrying children and dogs and how those activities are somehow 'equivalent' to gay marriage. ("Well heck Mabel, if we done gonna 'llow Cath-a-licks an' all to worship herebouts, how long it gonna be 'till there's satanists too!") Uh huh. Look, Children or dogs are definitively NOT consenting adults. There are plenty of laws in place to protect persons and property from the abusive attentions of criminals. It's covered, okay?

As for the "'gay' has no place in Darwinian evolution", or "Not a part of GOD'S PLAN!" (or whatever BELIEF system you invoke to truncate the rights of your fellow citizens) position.... Well, LOTS of homosexual activity has been observed at statistically meaningful rates throughout history and throughout the natural world (apes, octopi, sea lions, birds, dolphins, deer, yada, yada yada). So, ahem: YOU OBVIOUSLY DON'T KNOW THE PLAN WELL ENOUGH TO COMMENT ON BEHALF OF DARWIN OR GOD!!!


Baffled
on Jul 12, 2004
@ Baffled...

Hmmm. So, anyway, ahem:

I'M NOT SPEAKING FOR GOD OR DARWIN! AND WRITING IN CAPS IS A LITTLE ANNOYING, YOU KNOW? MAYBE YOU SHOULD TELL EVERYONE THE PLAN, SINCE YOU OBVIOUSLY GRASP IT BETTER THAN I.

And furthermore,
"gay" has no place in Darwinian evolution
is not what I said. I'm saying that since a gay couple can not naturally produce children, it's not natural by Darwinian standards. Procreate and live. Emphasis on procreate.

Anyway, on to people who actually have a sign in name.

@CrispE: A duckbill platypus fills an niche in the environment, which it has managed to keep throughout the years. If a creature can not fill a niche in the system, it dies out. Just because he looks a little odd doesn't mean he doesn't have a purpose. (Actually, I think they look pretty cool, with those flippers and bill and whatnot.)

And I use the words "lifestyle choice" to say that being gay is a choice you make about your life. Heterosexuality, vegetarianism, and a whole host of other things are lifestyle choices.

@ little_whip: I couldn't agree with you more. Why does it always seem that the majority is evil? If someone ever created a white entertainment television channel, they'd get their pants sued off by minorities. WET Tv. Funny, yet...


It's your life. I'm not going to tell you what to do. That would be arrogant and foolish. In my personal opinion, being gay is a choice. You aren't born gay.

Peace,

Beebes
on Jul 12, 2004
I think it's a bit rich to assume that homosexuality could serve absolutely no purpose in Darwinian science. The sole purpose of life is not necessarily to procreate. Look at bees for example. The vast majority of them will never, ever be capable of reproduction. And yet that doesn't matter because what is most important is the survival of the species. You see, that's the key. Gays can serve a useful purpose in keeping population growth down. As they cannot have children themselves, they are a mildly effective counter to potentially catastrophic population growth. So an efficient and well-organised system will use this sort of feature, much as various animals like some octipusses (octipi?) do, to limit in some ways the problem of overpopulation.

In any event everything boils down eventually to a "lifestyle choice" (one of the most hackneyed cliches of this modern world). Living is itself "a lifestyle choice"; there are trillions of people who have chosen the alternative. And yet most governments recognise the right of post-womb humans to live a life free from an early or unnatural end. Should these laws be removed from the books for being too proscriptive?
on Jul 12, 2004
Death_by_Beebles:
But there is no way to be sure about whether you are or not born left handed at this point, right? You certainly wouldn't convict someone of making this a choice if you were on a jury given the contradictory evidence that seems to imply it might be genetic. The thing is....we got time to wait. Baffled's argument that this is an attempt to quickie pass an amendment which will be hard to overturn makes some sense then.
I mean, for all of us righties to sit here, say it's not genetic is silly. The research on the genome is underway......give it time!
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